The present invention relates to a system for standardizing milk. In one aspect, the invention concerns a method for producing blended milk with a lower fat content than raw milk. In another aspect, the invention relates to milk standardizing apparatus.
Raw, unprocessed milk normally has a fat content higher than is desired in retailed milk, and is accordingly processed to remove a portion of the cream to provide a blended milk product having the desired standard fat content. Previously, standardizing has been accomplished by completely separating raw milk into a cream fraction containing substantially all of the fat and a skimmed milk fraction, which is essentially fat free. The skimmed milk and cream are piped to storage containers. To provide blended milk having a desired fat content, the stored supplies of skimmed milk and cream have been reblended after determination of the fat content by mixing with the skimmed milk the amount of cream needed to provide the fat content desired in the reblended milk.
Conventional standardizing operations require large, expensive skimmed milk and cream storage tanks, as well as pumps and piping equipment. It is relatively difficult to keep the separately stored cream and skimmed milk in a sanitary condition, since they are passed through complex piping and storage facilities and are not normally pasteurized until after reblending. For this reason, degradation or deterioration of the separated skim and cream fractions may be a problem in previous standardizing methods. Further, conventional systems, including one-line standardizing systems, have not generally produced blended milk as precisely blended as is desirable.
The present standardizing method and apparatus obviate the expense and difficulty of prior art standardizing operations and provide a precisely blended product.